Ivanna Cuesta's Official Website
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PERFORMERS:
Ivanna Cuesta, drums
Max Ridley, acoustic bass
Jose' Soto, keys
Fall Raye, tenor sax
(Modern Jazz)
This event is presented in collaboration with:
“Being an artist to me means having the power to change a person's mood, day or even life.” – Ivanna Cuesta
Ivanna Cuesta is a talented and versatile Dominican drummer and composer. After graduating from the Dominican Republic Conservatory, she received a full-tuition scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music where she is completed a double specialization in Performance and Writing/Contemporary Translation. During her time at Berklee, she had the opportunity to work and be mentored by Wayne Shorter, Terri Lyne Carrington, Neal Smith, and Esperanza Spalding, among others.
Cuesta, a continuing evolving artist, collaborates with world renowned artists such as Esperanza Spalding, Aaron Parks, Kandance Spring, Concha Buika, Kris Davis, Aaron Goldberg, Leo Blanco, Jacques Schwarz-Bart, Nando Michelin, Tia Fuller, Alisa Amador, Sócrates García Orchestra, Javier Vargas, Jane Bunnett & Maqueque, and Pepe Rivero, to name a few. She has performed in numerous important events such as The Monheim Treinnale Festival, Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center, and is consistently featured at other noteworthy international festivals.
In 2019, she won first place in the “Hit like a Girl” contest; she is endorsed by the world-renowned Paiste Cymbals company and, in 2022, Cuesta was selected to be part of the apprenticeship program “Next Jazz Legacy” for women and non-binary improvisers in jazz, chaired by NEA Jazz Master and Next Jazz Legacy’s Artistic Director, Terri Lyne Carrington.
Cuesta is also working on her career as an independent music composer for film, radio, TV and media, collaborating with Droid Mafia, an Electronic Record Label and Music Production House that works with the Discovery Channel and major TV networks worldwide.
In 2024, Cuesta is releasing her debut album as a band leader, “A Letter to the Earth”, featuring Grammy winner Kris Davis on piano, Ben Solomon on saxophone, Max Ridley on bass, and Paulina Camou on vocals.
The album seeks to encourage a deeper awareness and understanding of the relationship we have with planet earth.
Through the electronic elements and free improv of the 6 songs, Ivanna aims to describe her admiration, feelings, and respect for planet earth and the beings that inhabit it, giving her album a unique and remarkable touch.
(Performing Act)
Abria Smith, poet, playwriter, singer, and actress, is not afraid to be a dreamer.
She has ideas and creates arts that reveals her thoughts, desires, motivations, and values, while offering a view into diverse aspects of life and emotions. All very tenderly yet powerfully, activating one’s senses and memories.
Smith will present her adaptation of “Pale Blue Dot”, the well know poem of Carl Sagan.
Her performance will, without a doubt, make us feel part of the story and impress upon everyone the significance of our role towards Earth.
